Quarter Glass House | Proctor & Shaw

A series of stepped levels and angular windows designed by Proctor and Shaw open the ground floor of an Edwardian terrace house onto a quiet leafy garden in South West London.

The clients charged Proctor and Shaw with the task of connecting the ground floor to the 1.2m dropped rear garden, challenging the architects’ to bring as much light and height into the new extension as possible.

An existing leaky PVC conservatory was demolished to make way for a series of new interior levels. Proctor and Shaw lowered the ground floor significantly and designed a sequence of stepped plateaus expanding the height, light and volume of the space. The gentle sloping steps allow the clients to make a gradual, controlled descent into the garden through distinct yet connected kitchen, dining, and outdoor terrace zones.

The two neighbouring extensions presented a challenge, requiring Proctor and Shaw to think laterally about maintaining the residents’ privacy and access to light while still fulfilling the brief to create a light and bright home. The architects designed a wrap-around L-shaped extension with angular glazing, allowing the requirements of the site to naturally dictate the form of the building.

The resulting apex form includes four distinct ‘quarter glass’ windows of various sizes. Just as cars have quarter glass windows custom designed to the body of the vehicle, Proctor and Shaw have configured glazing to best fit and service the new family space.

The largest window, resting above the sliding doors to the garden offers a clerestory opening to draw light into the extension. A second ‘quarter glass’ frames a cosy window seat protruding into and overlooking the garden, while a third trapezoidal frameless window offers a view onto a newly created courtyard at the heart of the home. This space acts both as a lightwell and small service yard, connecting to a new utility space (doubling as a guest WC) that allows noisy appliances, clothes drying racks and other clutter to be tucked away out of the new family kitchen dining space. The fourth ‘quarter glass’ is a large triangular roof oculus, set in deeply framed down stand beams that control views to the neighbouring property.

In keeping with the brief, the interiors of the extension are textural and warm in muted copper and duck egg tones. The ceilings’ structural soffit of Douglas Fir is offset by large format light grey floor tiles that continue out to the patio, blurring the lines between inside and out. At eye level, a seamless pale pink microcement acts as a wall finish and backsplash, accompanied by Douglas Fir floating timber shelves that line the length of the kitchen.

Ikea kitchen cabinetry was customised with light duck egg doors and drawers, allowing the clients extra breathing room to focus their finances on particular materials, including the custom copper-topped birch ply kitchen island at the centre of the room. Copper finishes are echoed in the sink, tap and utensil hanging rails, balanced by a grey powder-coated aluminium framed dining table, custom designed by Proctor and Shaw.

Quotes:

Mike Shaw, Director, Proctor and Shaw:

“The quarter glass forms came to the design naturally, finding their way into the plan as we considered ways to ensure the extension was light but still considerate of the clients and their neighbours' privacy.”

“Materially, an exposed timber roof structure creates warmth and interest in the ceiling, complemented by calming tones of copper, Microcement and soft green cabinetry. There’s a lovely movement in this space, a gradual progression from the house through the new space out to the garden, articulated through stepped plateaus that give the clients’ distinctly separate zones despite there really being one large space.”

Client comment:

“Mike and John are a delight. They have extremely high standards, but are unpretentious and fun to work with. They had many creative and practical ideas, but never tried to impose them upon us. Instead, they wanted to understand what would work for our family, they challenged us, took some of our ideas and improved them.”

“The process was creative, collaborative and fun. The end result is an extraordinary space that has transformed the way we live. There are so many things we love about it: the height, the folded ceiling, the Douglas Fir beams, the way the copper-topped island reflects pink in the sunlight, the use of micro-cement inside and out, and the dramatic view of the extension from the outside at night.“

Project credits: 

Location: Wimbledon Park, South London

Site area:                                                                                                                                           
• House size before (sqm) - 172m2
• House size after (sqm)* - 186m2
• Area added (sqm) 14m2
• Existing area refurbished (sqm) 35m2
Completion date: March 2020

Architect: Proctor & Shaw

Engineer: Jensen Hunt Design

Main contractor: Roberto Nunez
Kitchen joinery: Ikea/Naked Doors

Photography: Stale Eriksen - www.eriksenphoto.com